New York -- A&G Realty Partners said Tuesday it has been retained by Bakers Footwear Group Inc. to handle the liquidation of its remaining 56 mall stores.

According to A&G, an auction for the store leases is slated for Feb. 18, with a deadline to submit bids to A&G Realty by Feb. 21.

“Bakers' real estate has begun to create interest among various shoe retailers, particularly those interested in access to premier locations in some of the top malls in the country,” said Michael Jerbich, a partner at A&G Realty Partners, who is managing the court-supervised sale process.

Bakers Footwear Group, based in St. Louis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2012; prior to its bankruptcy, the chain operated 236 Bakers and Wild Pair shoe stores in 37 states.